From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA (R.C.T., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA (R.C.T., S.R.E.K., E.B.-M., C.K.M., K.A.M.); Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (C.A.D.); and Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA (T.T.L.).

Abstract

Background and Purpose—The inverse relation between socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease is well established. However, few studies have investigated socioeconomic status assessed repeatedly during adulthood in relation to subclinical atherosclerosis. We aimed to test whether consistently low socioeconomic status, as indexed by education, income, and financial strain, for 12 years of midlife was related to later carotid intima-media thickness and plaque among women.

Methods—The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation is a multisite longitudinal study of midlife women. Education was assessed at the study baseline, income and financial strain were obtained yearly for 12 years, and a carotid ultrasound was obtained at study year 12 among 1402 women. Associations were tested in linear and multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, biological, and behavioral risk factors.